Woven in History ** Coverlets of the Lehigh Valley in spotlight at Kemerer Museum

SONIA CSENCSITS Of The Morning CallTHE MORNING CALL

Using state of the art technology, Thomas Marsteller of Lower Saucon Township placed spools of wool and cotton onto a loom and began to weave.

The pattern he created had a bright color and was elaborate in design.

It was 1848.

The jacquard loom was relatively new to the Bethlehem area, but weavers took to the new technology that utilized punched paper cards to create myriad designs. Invented in France by Joseph-Marie Jacquard, the loom vastly expanded the options of weavers. The punch-card system was later adapted to process information in early computers.

The creations of the early weavers remain vivid today. Several Marsteller coverlets are among those on loan to the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts in Bethlehem, for "Woven Threads: Coverlets of the Lehigh Valley," an exhibit that will be on display Thursday through June 3.

Emmaus textile consultant Kimberly Ward Manning is the curator. While working on her master's degree, Ward Manning was required to research a museum collection. She came to Kemerer and discovered the coverlets.

The exhibit, she says, chronicles the work of professional weavers, men in the Lehigh Valley who were mostly German immigrants who brought their skills and equipment, set up shop and advertised their craft.

The works of Marsteller, Solomon Kuter of Trexlertown and Daniel Snyder of Hanover Township, Northampton County, are included.

"One thing people do is confuse quilts with coverlets. The fabric of early pieces was linen and wool or cotton and wool. Natural dyes were used. Indigo for blue and roots for red," she explains.

"In the 19th century, coverlets were the equivalent of a slip covers. People had small houses, and beds were in the main living quarters. Coverlets were placed on the beds and functioned as decorative pieces during the day and as functional pieces, blankets at night."

Coverlets were usually made in two sections and then joined together.

The intricacies of these early designs teases the mind. Allusions to nature, ancient cultures, and mythology were woven into the oversized coverlets.

Trees, birds, acanthus leaves, architectural designs, distelfinks, scrolls, stars, flowers, whorls and people virtually dance across the these early versions of slip covers that hang on the walls of the exhibit room.

A dragonfly can be seen in the corner of one, and doves can be seen in another.

One bedspread is a geometric design of ornate stylized red, white and blue squares. Another is done in a plain white diagonal pattern known as diaper weave.

Weavers signed their works in one corner by including their name and the date they made the coverlet and the name of the owner in another corner.

Textiles would have been included in dowries, Ward Manning explained.

"These have not been on display for more than 15 years. They are unusual." Manning said in describing the exhibit that spans 1810 to 1860.

The exhibit is complemented by exquisite samples in "Labor for Learning: Early American Needleart," featuring works done by Moravian Seminary students. The needlework exhibit will be shown at Moravian Museum, 66 W. Church St., Thursday through June 3. The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

Kemerer Museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

The combined cost for both exhibits is $3 for adults and $1 for children.

As part of the Kemerer exhibit, an heirloom coverlet identification clinic will be open to the public free at the museum at 1-4 p.m. March 31 with Ward Manning and Dr. Rita Salikis, Allentown Museum textile curator; Barbara Schafer, Historic Bethlehem Partnership collections manager, and representatives from area museums and the Pennsylvania State Museum.

The exhibit is funded partially by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.